The
group applauds prior rate approval, ban on rate arbitration,
cherry-picking restrictions and CEO accountability as major
victories, but says the insurance crisis is far from over.

Media
Release for January 23, 20007

A statewide coalition of grassroots
consumer advocacy organizations, labor unions and neighborhood groups are
urging Governor Charlie Crist to sign the legislative package on insurance
that passed during the final hours of the special legislative session on
Monday.Formed early this year
to educate the public and advocate in the legislature for insurance reform
that would strengthen the overall system and provide real relief for
consumers, the broad based coalition collectively represents close to a
million
Florida
consumers.

The coalition, which includes the Florida
Justice Association, Florida AFL-CIO, Florida Consumer
Action Network, Florida PIRG, FIRM, HAC, ACORN,
Cyber Citizens for Justice, POA Of The Villages, Floridians In Action
and several condominium associations, applauds the Florida
Legislature for taking a, “good first step,” in
reforming Florida’s insurance system.However, the coalition also acknowledges that there is still much
work to be done before all the insurance consumers of this state see the
broad-based rate relief they so sorely need.

“This bill is the most
significant pro-consumer insurance reform in my memory,” said
Paul Jess, General Counsel for the Florida Justice Association.“We are pleased that our new Governor and legislative
leaders are putting the needs of consumers ahead of industry profits.”

“This first effort is extremely encouraging and
represents a real sea change from the past when our elected officials
lacked the courage and the will to stand up to the insurance lobby and
push a reform agenda,” commented Florida AFL-CIO President
Cindy Hall
.“It is not a
cure-all, in fact it is just the beginning, but I think it speaks volumes
about Governor Crist’s more people- oriented approach to governing.This gives us hope for the future.”

The coalition still has real
concerns about
Florida
’s insurance regulatory structure and understands that there are still
myriad areas that need real reform before this crisis is over.However, it believes that the people can take comfort in knowing
that our new governor and legislative leadership is committed to the
principle that relief must start, not with insurance industry handouts,
but with real consumer oriented reforms.
Florida
’s property insurance crisis has grown over several years and, as such,
is not a problem that can be fixed all at once.The coalition is committed to continuing to work with the governor
and legislature in the upcoming regular session to further ensure that
Florida
’s homeowners can get insurance at affordable prices from insurance
companies who treat their customers with respect and pay legitimate claims
promptly.

“We hope the Governor will sign
this bill with the understanding that much more needs to be done and that
our support for this first step does not mean that our work here is
done,” said
Brad Ashwell
, Consumer Advocate with Florida PIRG. “Our
coalition is just getting fired up and we will be aggressively pursuing
more consumer friendly changes in the regular session.”